


Catch These Hands (take these hands)

by sergeant_angel



Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Loki: Agent of Asgard, Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Platonic Hand-Holding, kid!loki, loki is touch starved and kate finds this out accidentally, loki just let your friends Love you, not an mcu crossover for once weird i know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2019-03-07 03:47:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13426143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sergeant_angel/pseuds/sergeant_angel
Summary: Loki gets into a lot of trouble. Kate accidentally discovers that holding his hand solves a lot of problems.Loki, of course, hates it.(of course he doesn't.)





	Catch These Hands (take these hands)

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this post](http://sergeant-angels-trashcan.tumblr.com/post/169596948090/playingthegameoflife-catch-these-hands-with) and also by jewishsuperfam saying "OKAY BUT CONSIDER: kate realizes that loki likes holding hands, and also that holding hands is effective a leash because he can't/won't wander off or cast spells while holding hands. so she starts just. holding his hands All The Time"
> 
> because YES. so here you go: a study of Loki and physical affection

"Catch these hands!" Loki, son of Laufey, aims said fists at Hawkeye's stomach. He can see the fear in her eyes as she realizes he is not to be trifled with, a trickster god of magic--

\--as she says, "Okay," catches his fists, and continues speaking.

Hawkeyes. Should have known better, the hand-eye coordination. She might be mortal, from Earth, and not superpowered in any way, but she is good at that sort of thing. It's why he'd picked her for the team, after all. He tugs, trying to reclaim his hands, but Kate doesn't budge. He _could_ break out of her grip, it's not _that_ , he's an immensely powerful demigod. He can be free any time he likes. Even small as he is, he could do it. He _could_. 

He just doesn't want to.

Not like that! He doesn't want her to _know_ he could. That's it.

Noh moves off, leaving Kate and Loki. She drops one of his hands but keeps the other, wrapping her fingers around his still-clenched fist and dragging him along the corridor.

"You can let me go," he says, irritated to find he sounds sulky. "I wasn't actually going to hit you."

"I know." She seems surprised. As though she _actually_ believes he wouldn't hurt her. "That's why you gave me the warning and told me to catch. Like when somebody throws something at you and says 'Heads up.'"

Does she actually believe this? It's unclear. She is a Hawkeye, after all, and they are notoriously...oblivious.

Tentatively, Loki loosens his fist. Kate's grip eases enough that he could probably pull away if he wanted—no, if he _tried_. Of course he doesn't want Kate's grubby human hands on his. 

He closes his fingers around hers, their palms pressed together.

* * *

 

" _Nooope_ _!"_ Kate says. It sounds more like _nyoooooope_ and is about an octave lower than her normal voice. Her hands smack Loki's out of the air, breaking apart the spell he was weaving. "No magic!"

"But I--"

"That's the rule, Loki! You have to run what you're going to do by us first!"

"I haven't killed any of you! You still don't trust me?"

Kate stares. The _team_ stares. _He_ was the one who got them together. You'd think that would gain him some trust.

"Loki," David starts. "Not murdering is like...the lowest common denominator. Okay? The most basic thing you could do. Or not do, in this case. There are literally millions of people who haven't tried to murder us, but that doesn't mean we trust them with our lives."

"But I was _hungry_." A whine edges into Loki's voice.

"And you were....?" Teddy trails off.

"Going to get food."

"And?" Noh prompts.

"I was going to set that booth on fire," Loki jerks his chin towards the end of the market before hanging his head. So they'll think he's sorry, of course.

"Okay," Kate says, after the silence has stretched on for longer than is really comfortable. Her hands are still on his. "First of all, no arson."

"You set that building on fire last week--"

"That was for a reason. A good guy superhero reason, not because I was hangry."

"What's hangry?" Loki asks.

Kate ignores his question. "And second of all, let's just—ground rule. Let someone know where you're going. And no magicking food. That being said, where do you want to eat? Pancakes?"

Loki turns his hand over in hers, giving it an experimental squeeze. "Pancakes isn't a place."

She squeezes his hand back. "You know what I meant."

"That does sound good," America admits. "I saw a diner a few blocks back. Let's go."

The Young Avengers start to wade their way through the farmer's market crowd. Kate keeps Loki's hand firmly in hers, probably to make sure he doesn’t do any more spells. 

He lets her, because he's still short, and he wouldn't want to lose them in the crowd.

Of course.

* * *

 

They've barely disembarked when Kate comes up next to Loki and takes his hand in hers. 

"What? I didn't even do anything!" He protests.

"Yeah, except the last time we were in a mayfly universe you bolted as soon as your feet hit the ground--"

"I thought I had a trace of the tracking spell--"

"And it took us _four hours_ to find you, Loki. Not happening again."

He _does_ try to take off. For science. Hawkeye's hand remains firmly clamped around his, not to mention her legs are longer than his, so if he actually runs she can easily keep up with him. 

And that strong archer-grip means that if he tries to do a one-handed spell—never a good idea, in general—that she's coming right along with him. 

He can drag his heels, he can race ahead.

Kate won't let go.

* * *

 

Loki stands next to Kate and, experimentally, slips his hand in hers. 

She looks down at him, smiling. "Hey, dude. What's up?"

That's it. She doesn't try to deck him, or drop him, or yell. _What's up_.

Yesterday, he saw her put Noh in a wristlock for putting his arm over her shoulders. Loki tries to figure out if he'd announced his presence in some way—Kate isn't big on people sneaking up on her—but decides, no, he was just as quiet as anyone else. 

Loki shrugs.

"Okay. Cool, then." 

They stand on the bridge, staring at the stars. When Loki starts paying attention again, he realizes that his head is leaning on Kate's arm.

He kind of likes it. 

In the deepest, darkest, quietest part of his mind, Loki almost-remembers leaning like this against Thor, and it feels almost like fam--

Of _course_ America choses this moment to barge in and ruin everything. 

* * *

 

"Loki."

"Kate."

Loki stands next to her, feeling like their body is too big—too gangly and sharp, all elbows and knees. Another form sloughed off like a snakeskin. Hopefully this one will take. Loki _likes_ being God of Stories. It takes them a moment to realize the back of their hand is butting up against hers, like a cat seeking attention. 

Loki realizes they're getting lightheaded because they are holding their breath, right until the moment she takes their hand, sliding her fingers between theirs and giving a gentle squeeze. She smiles up at them, as she used to smile down at him. "Hey. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The air exits Loki in a whoosh. "I saved the world?"

"Of course you did. It's what we do."

It takes Loki perhaps too long to realize what she means. The Young Avengers. She still thinks Loki belongs to that world, that team.

"So what have you been up to?"

"Well—I'm Sorcerer Supreme now."

"Dang. I thought Billy was kidding when he said that."

"Nope. Utterly serious."

"Wow. How's it going?"

"Good, I think? I like it. Even though I never would have thought—being a good guy is still new to me."

"Well." Kate bumps their shoulders together. "If you ever need any help, you know how to find me."

"You mean that?" Loki peers at her. 

"Of course I do." She smiles. Suddenly, Loki realizes that he doesn't want to disappoint her. The rest of the team, too, but Kate most of all. Loki squeezes Kate's hand and thinks: 

Kate Bishop of Earth--she's not so bad.


End file.
